Yahoo Autos 2025 Acura ZDX First Drive Review: First electric Acura or alternative Cadillac?
MONTECITO, Calif. – The 2025 Acura ZDX not only looks like an Acura, but it’s arguably one of the best-looking Acuras ever. If we’re talking SUVs, what’s going to topple it from the podium? The original ZDX? Beneath that skin, however, it’s no secret that the new ZDX rides on General Motors’ Ultium electric platform, has an interior constructed with General Motors parts, and is even built by General Motors in Tennessee. Ultimately, though, the most GM thing about the ZDX may be this overall assessment of it: This electric SUV provides more performance and features for the money than competitors, but the interior is a real letdown. Sure sounds like any performance Cadillac from the past two decades to me.
The trouble for the ZDX is that the competitor it most closely aligns with in terms of price, feature content and EV specs is literally a Cadillac … but things have changed. Specifically, the Cadillac Lyriq doesn’t suffer from that whole “interior is a real letdown” thing. Far from it, it’s a reason to buy a Lyriq. Furthermore, the two EVs not only share the same Ultium platform, but their motor offerings are basically the same with power outputs and ranges that closely align. It’s therefore impossible not to keep coming back to comparisons between the two. Even if the ZDX is a decent value, complete with its $7,500 federal tax credit, why get one instead of the more luxurious Lyriq? In short, it comes with even more features for the money, and boasts the sort of chassis upgrades and handling acumen Cadillac has moved away from with the Lyriq.
So that’s where that comparison rests, and although I’ll get back into that whole “not really an Acura” angle, let’s take a closer look at the specs that more objectively let the new ZDX stack up well to vehicles that aren’t mechanically related. There are three versions of the ZDX, with no options apart from color and a summer-tire option. Starting at $65,850, including destination but not the federal tax credit, the base ZDX A-Spec becomes the only other rear-wheel-drive Acura besides the first NSX. It produces 358 horsepower and 324 pound-feet of torque, and achieves an EPA-estimated range of 313 miles from its 102-kilwatt-hour battery pack. These specs are roughly equal to the rear-motor Lyriq and Chevy Blazer EV, but they amount to a stronger proposition than anything offered by Hyundai/Kia/Genesis, while comparable luxury models are considerably more expensive. The same conclusion can be made with the dual-motor A-Spec, which gains a front motor, and a grand total of 490 hp and 437 lb-ft of torque. Range is still 304 miles. That performance falls just shy of the dual-motor Lyriq, but here comes Acura’s ace in the hole: the ZDX Type S.
It boasts 499 horsepower (you might see 500 horses written places, but the official spec is 499) and a Lyriq-smoking 544 lb-ft. Its range falls to 278 miles, but that’s still far better than the majority of electric vehicles, let alone high-performance ones. The 429-hp Genesis GV60 Performance can only eke out 235.
Acura ZDX A-Spec vs ZDX Type S
The maximum DC fast-charging rate is 190 kilowatts, which is quick but ultimately average, especially in the luxury realm. Acura also includes a choice of three charging packages: a home charging station, $500 installation credit and $100 public charging credit; a Level 1 and 2 portable charger, a $250 installation credit (for a 240-volt outlet) and $300 public charging credit; or you could get $750 worth of waiting around at Electrify America. We wouldn’t recommend that last one unless you already have a home charger.
While discussion of its GM DNA is unavoidable, this isn’t a badge-swapped SLX for the electric age. According to John Hwang, development leader for both ZDX and Honda Prologue, a team of Ohio-based Acura engineers were dispatched to GM’s Milford proving grounds to work on tuning the ZDX to their own specifications. They also worked separately from the Prologue team (Hwang wanted the two cars to have their own unique characters) and I would argue Acura was far more successful at working with GM’s componentry. Hwang said the ZDX team brought an MDX to Milford to provide a baseline reference on literal common ground, while GM had component suppliers on hand who could swap out hardware and change software-based tuning on the spot after engineers completed test runs. Engineers also tested at Honda’s own facility in Ohio, including on a laser-scanned copy of Harper’s Way, a uniquely and notoriously bad road outside Honda HQ in Torrance, Calif., that’s a must-do for any North American Honda or Acura.
Great, but did they succeed? Well, an EV will always perform inherently different than a gas-powered vehicle from the same brand. Even a Porsche Taycan won’t be mistaken for a Panamera, for better or worse. There’s also the matter of the Acura brand being inconsistent and ill-defined for the better part of 15 years, so it’s much harder to nail down expectations for it than it was for the Honda Prologue (which missed the mark). So, no, it probably doesn’t “drive like an Acura,” but I’m not sure what that means these days.
What I do know is acceleration is just as vigorous as you’d expect from the 499 horses provided by the Type S, which was unfortunately the only version on hand to test. It smacks you in the chest in a way that an MDX certainly won’t. Like other EVs, artificial noises are piped through the sound system, but they’re better than most. More noise emanates from the rear, in keeping with more power literally coming from the rear. The Taycan and Mustang Mach-E GT do the same thing, with a similarly positive effect. The ZDX, however, goes one step further by adding noise under harder braking. Though subtle, it clearly comes from the forward speakers, thereby emulating off-throttle engine braking noises. It’s a cool touch that seems natural and adds to the experience.
